Family business

With every play made in the secondary, every catch on offense, ESPN 300 athlete Steven Parker II (Jenks, Okla./Jenks) does it for his surname.

So when Parker takes the field next week as undefeated Jenks plays Tulsa (Okla.) Union for the Class 6A state championship, he will do so with a name that holds considerable weight in his home state.

Parker's father, Steven, played at Oklahoma State, and his grandfather, Charles, helped break the color barrier at Oklahoma. And as Parker, the nation's No. 200 player, prepares for life as a college football player, it's now his turn to write a chapter in the family book.

"They've already left their legacies and hung up their cleats. I'm the last Parker playing," Parker said. "I feel like every time I step on the field, I'm playing for them. I'm trying to keep the name out there and make sure I'm keeping the tradition alive."

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